No, Not A Chance
by mcangel1976
Summary: What would happen if Jackal actually said "no" instead of always giving in? How would everyone take it? He was asked to do something and he finally snapped and decided his answer going forward would be No and no one could change his mind. No one could bully him into doing anything going forward. What happened to make him snap? This can't be good for the Rikkai Dai team.
1. I Said No!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or its characters, but I will use them for my stories and to entertain my readers. **

**A/N: This has been something that has been on my mind for a while… Why didn't Jackal just say no? So as I was pondering this question, this story idea popped into my head. I hope you enjoy. There will be no actual pairings in this story, it is just Rikkai Dai being… well them. SugarTensai, it's finally here! Enjoy minna!**

Chapter 1 – I Said No!

"NO!" A bellow came from the tennis courts at Rikkai Dai Fuzoku Chuu before the clatter of a racket hit the ground. Now normally everyone would think that it was the second year ace throwing yet another temper tantrum, but shockingly it wasn't. It wasn't even the bubble blowing self-proclaimed tensai, or Niou pretending to be either one of them. No, this was from someone no one expected to shout the negative word or to throw down his racket in a hissy fit… Jackal.

Heads whipped around to gape at the four lunged iron wall as for the first time anyone could recall, he denied someone or something and was completely serious about it. Ok, he might have been serious about it in the past, but he somehow always got dragged back in, but this time was different. It was written on his face and the tenseness of his body… he was deadly serious and he would not give in this time.

"But Jackal…" Marui blinked as he walked up to his doubles partner with a huge grin on his face, wholeheartedly believing he would be able to convince his friend to do what he wanted.

"I SAID NO! As in not going to happen, not on your life, never gonna change my mind and you can't make me!" Jackal screamed breathing hard and looking for all intents and purposes like he had just experienced a psychotic break.

Marui's jaw dropped to the ground and he couldn't believe what he was hearing. This wasn't Jackal, his friend, partner, and all around lackey. It couldn't be. The half Brazilian must have been possessed by a ghost or evil monster. Jackal never said no and meant it. Could it be because he was only half Japanese that he was more susceptible to the influence of ghosts and spirits… it was definitely something the tensai would have to look into because honestly the look on his friend's face right now frightened him.

Looking behind him at everyone around the courts, Marui could see that everyone was in shock. Even Kirihara was cowering in the corner behind Yukimura and crying, "Don't let evil Jackal kill me Mura-buchou. You have to protect me! His eyes will burn me alive and there will be no hope for me!" The second year ace was covering his head and trying not to look at the defensive specialist. Really there was no reason to go that far. Jackal must be having a bad day or something and it wasn't like his friend's eyes could really burn someone alive.

"Did something happen in school today? I think if you just…" Marui tried talking to his friend again and once again it didn't work.

"Don't tell me what to do! If you are trying to placate me and calm me down, it isn't going to work!" Jackal yelled.

At a loss as to what to do, Marui turned to the only two people that could probably help in this situation… Yukimura and Sanada. Surely they would be able to reach Jackal when he couldn't, right? If nothing else, Sanada could slap some sense into that blasted bald head of Jackal's with an infamous torundoru.

Yes, by now the torundoru were truly infamous because all of the schools across Japan and even some around the world knew about the power slap the fukubuchou possessed and used on a regular basis. It was gossiped and talked about in dark corners and hushed whispers. Rumors spread about the power and magnitude of these slaps and some compared them to a 4.2 earthquake on the Richter scale. Yes, the rumors were vastly exaggerated, but these were middle school kids gossiping… what isn't exaggerated?

Yukimura saw the panicked looked that came over Marui as the tensai turned to him and Sanada for help and the buchou chuckled. In his mind it was best to let the redhead stew for just a little longer, to believe he was on his own, and to freak out just a little more than he already was… that was half the fun. However, even Yukimura was a little surprised that Jackal had exploded on the tennis courts like he had. That wasn't the half-Brazilian's nature and it showed he had been pushed to his limits, but the bluenette's attitude about limits were that they needed to be pushed and broken, and he really hated it when his tennis practice was disrupted like it had been. Someone would pay.

Glancing down out of the corner of his eye towards his friend beside him, Sanada could see the wheels turning and the enjoyment sparkling in those blue eyes of the tennis buchou; and he knew if he made a move too early, he would pay a hefty price. He may be able to torundoru most players, but he was no match for Yukimura when he was mad or upset or in sadist mode. It was best to wait and not move, not even twitch or breathe, until the bluenette took the first step. If that meant one of his tennis players had to suffer, well this was Rikkai and they had a sadist for a buchou and Sanada for a fukubuchou, the players should be used to suffering by now. Really when you are a student at that school, suffering was part of the student creed, and Sanada was pretty sure it was written in the student handbook somewhere. Briefly he wondered if the other schools knew how easy they had it… probably not. None of them would survive a week at Rikkai Dai. They didn't have what it took. He was pulled out of his musings when Yukimura took one step forward and then paused.

"Renji," Yukimura called out to his data specialist.

"There was a 97.4% chance of this happening eventually, but my calculations were a little off. I didn't expect it until tomorrow after tennis practice was over," Yanagi answered the unspoken question.

The three demons stayed where they were when they noticed two other players attempting to approach the upset teen. It really was a wonder why Jackal was still there and hadn't moved, but that could have been because Yukimura and Sanada were in front of the exit and in order to leave, he would have to go through them… his chances were (as Yanagi would say) only 1.2% that he would escape unscathed. It was probably safer to stay put.

Pushing up his glasses, Yagyuu calmly spoke to his friend, "Jackal, yelling like a madman and throwing a temper tantrum is not very becoming. You should act with more decorum on the courts." He realized too late that this was probably the wrong thing to say because Jackal turned around and literally growled like a wild animal at him. The only thing missing was foam at the mouth and the teen would be a rabid beast.

Niou shook his head, "Puri. Let me show you how it's done Yagyuu." Walking closer to Jackal, he placed his hand on the other teen's shoulder and smiled, "Now Jackal, we know you're upset but…" Nothing else was heard from Niou besides a yell as his hand was shrugged off and he was pushed away falling on his butt. This did not sit well with the trickster.

"Leave me alone!" Jackal screamed.

"We're gonna die! We're gonna die!" Kirihara wailed from his place in the corner still refusing to look at Jackal because he didn't want his flesh burned off.

Inwardly rolling his eyes, Yukimura plastered on a new smile that said, "I will take care of this and Jackal and he will learn to behave in the future; and if he ever disrupts practice again, he will forfeit his life." The bluenette moved forward with Yanagi and Sanada on either side of him as they approached the psycho tennis player, "Jackal, would you care to tell me what's wrong?" His tone of voice said there was no room to deny him or to argue, but he was in for another shock because what happened next never… and I mean NEVER… happened before in… well all of history. In fact there were reports that after this hell had in fact frozen over.

Seething, Jackal turned his furious glare at his buchou and snarled, "No, I don't have to. No, no, no, no, no, no! My answer is NO!" He pushed his way past the stunned three demons and ran out of practice. Yep, he had finally lost it and not even Yukimura was able to stop him; all hell had just broken loose and Jackal had defied nature… he was so dead.


	2. Intervention

**A/N: I wasn't sure what kind of reception this story would get and I am pleased to know that everyone likes the story and several people have been wondering the same thing. Why didn't he ever say no? FS'Briseis requested a chapter that showed why he might not be able to say no, so I will be writing a chapter that might give the reason on why he can't say no… well until now. In this chapter you will learn what finally caused him to break, and I really think he had just cause. I hope you get a good laugh and enjoy!**

Chapter 2 – Intervention

Never in the history of the world had something such as this ever happened. Never had anyone ever told Yukimura no and never had Jackal ever uttered that word with such passion and actually meant it. This day was one for the history books, and if anyone was sure of one thing… Yanagi was recording everything for posterity's sake (hey, someone needed to keep record of all of this and who better than someone who records everything anyway. Everyone else was in too much shock to do anything but stand there and gape with their mouths hanging to the ground as ants walked in and grabbed the last bits of crumbs from their lunches).

Looking around him, Yukimura knew he had to take quick control of the situation before everything got out of hand and tennis practice was done for the rest of the afternoon… not that it already wasn't, but he felt like he could at least salvage the first years and the non-regulars. Without raising his voice, his soft melodic voice carried on the wind, "Everyone that isn't a regular, give me 25 laps… now!"

No one questioned anything or hesitated. Yukimura was one person they never wanted to cross or piss off because that could mean a punishment worse than death. They had heard of people making him mad and then never being heard from again, either that or they were tortured to the point they were never the same again. Now these were just rumors mind you and you never know what was actually true and what was false, but with rumors… there was always a part that was true, but which part? No one wanted to find out, and thus the tennis players didn't take any chances. Plus, if the bluenette didn't get them, Sanada would and no one wanted to be on the wrong end of a torundoru.

Once the non-regulars were gone, Yukimura called all of the regulars in front of him; however, one was still cowering in the corner crying about how Jackal was going to burn his flesh off. Looking over his shoulder, the bluenette muttered, "Just leave him where he is. He is probably causing less trouble there than he is anywhere else." He faced his tennis players and marched in front of them before stopping in front of a certain redhead, "Marui Bunta, do you want to tell me what happened today?"

"I just asked Jackal to do me a favor… or two," Marui replied.

"Why don't you tell me exactly what you asked him to do in detail? I want to know everything you asked him to do all day. Every item, regardless how inconsequential you think it is," Yukimura smiled sweetly, but that smile was anything but sweet. It clearly said, "Do as I tell you and we will see how long you live afterwards. If you piss me off, you will die."

Swallowing hard, Marui nodded and began his tale, "Well this morning we met up like we always do in order to walk to school together. I forgot my wallet, so I asked Jackal to buy me a cream puff for breakfast."

"Didn't your mom make you breakfast?" Niou interrupted.

"Well, yah, but I was still hungry and wanted something sweet," Marui answered with a grin.

Sanada could already feel the urge to slap someone and felt quite proud of himself that he had held back so far. "Continue," he snapped.

Marui sighed and continued, "He didn't want to, but I finally goaded him into it like I usually do. Then we met up with Akaya and Jackal had to buy one for him as well. So then we came to school. Well during lunch we found out that Akaya was invited to a birthday party, and you have told us that he isn't allowed to go to those things unsupervised so I told Jackal he would have to supervise the party. Then I found out that I was set up on a blind date and I convinced him to go in my place. Then Akaya was asked out by a girl and I told Jackal he would need to supervise that date and pay since Akaya would probably not have any money…" (I will cut it short to save time and my fingers). The more he spouted off, the more Yukimura and Sanada were surprised their defense specialist hadn't lost it sooner.

"So what happened during practice?" Yanagi inquired pencil poised at the ready to scribble the tensai's answer.

To his credit Bunta actually turned red and looked slightly embarrassed by what happened and hesitated telling the others what he did. He wasn't sure if this was something that he should share with anyone else.

"I suggest that you tell us what you asked him to do that sent him over the edge," Yukimura's grin increased in size and seemed to become more threatening if that was possible.

Mumbling something under his breath, Marui explained what happened. Unfortunately, no one could understand him.

"Torundoru!" Sanada yelled pushed to his limit as he slapped the redheaded tennis regular.

"Genichiro, calm down," Yukimura spoke gently and crouched down next to where Marui landed on the ground and told him, "I suggest you try that again, but this time in a clear and concise manner."

"My aunt is the one that set me up on the blind date and I told him he needed to dress up as a girl and pretend to be my girlfriend, in a dress, and come to my house when she would be there this weekend. If she thought I had a girlfriend, she would stop fixing me up on stupid blind dates and he wouldn't have to go on any more blind dates for me," Marui answered.

Blinking, the bluenette muttered, "I see." He stood up and looked at his other players, "Did anyone else ask Jackal to do anything for them?"

Kirihara finally came out of his corner and ran up to his beloved buchou with a big smile on his face, "I did Mura-buchou! I asked him to take me for ramen after practice today!"

"I see. Anyone else?" The buchou looked around the group not sure what he would find and slightly afraid to hear any more, and relieved to see everyone else shaking their heads negatively. He looked to his two closest friends and seemed to silently communicate with them before turning back towards the others, "Everyone to the locker room. We are going to have an intervention."

"Shouldn't Jackal be here in order to have an intervention?" Marui inquired.

"What's an intervention?" Kirihara asked innocently.

Putting his hand on the young ace's shoulder, Yukimura told him, "You'll find out after we get to the locker room. It's special. I promise."

"Okay!" The second year yelled and raced to the locker room anxious to get started (oh if he only knew what awaited him).

"Yukimura, shouldn't we have Jackal…?" Marui tried again.

The bluenette fixed his self-proclaimed tensai with a hard stare complete with a pretty smile (really only two people could pull this off and they were both sadists: Yukimura and Fuji), and questioned, "What makes you think the intervention is for him? Now, let's get to the locker room."

"What about the other members?" Yagyuu pointed to the people that were currently running.

"Genichiro, would you dismiss them for the day and then join us? We'll be in the office with the door closed so that we aren't disturbed," Yukimura snickered causing everyone's hair on the back of their neck to stand on end (Sanada and Yanagi wouldn't admit it, but theirs did as well). The Rikkai Dai buchou was the last person in the office, besides Sanada, and he closed the door behind him. The bang of the door sounded like a finality to someone's life and everyone wondered if this was the end or an intervention.

Yanagi was stepped up to his friend and asked, "Are we going to wait for Genichiro or will we start before he arrives?"

"Oh, I think we can wait and allow everyone here to ponder what is coming," the bluenette giggled.

Everyone in the room (besides Yanagi and Kirihara) sweat dropped. This did not bode well. Sanada arrived a few minutes later and it was time to begin.

"The reason we are having an intervention is because certain members of this tennis team have been taking advantage of Jackal and have finally caused him to have him to have a psychotic break. There is no other explanation for the way he acted towards me earlier or the way he left the tennis courts. Thus we have decided before we can deal with him, we need to make sure this never happens again… or decreases in frequency," Yukimura announced. He knew he couldn't completely stop it. His tennis team was beyond crazy and there was no way to completely stop his members from wreaking havoc on another's life. The best he could do was to improve the situation. He might be called the child of God, but he wasn't a God by any stretch of the imagination.

"Mura-buchou, what's an intervention? You said it would be fun," Kirihara interrupted raising his hand.

Nodding, the bluenette looked to this person on his right, "Renji."

Yanagi started quoting the definition of an intervention (and yes, he was probably confusion the tennis ace), "The act or fact of intervening. Interposition or interference of one state in the affairs of another. From Latin…" (Definition taken from dictionary dot com)

"I believe that is enough. Thank you, Renji. Basically it means we are going to have a discussion and attempt to break your bad habits," Yukimura grinned.

"Whose?" Kirihara and Marui asked.

"The two who asked that stupid question. Puri," Niou sniggered.

The two targets were still confused, "Eh?"

Yagyuu couldn't stop himself from face palming, "You really don't get it?"

"What are you talking about Yagyuu-senpai?" The second year questioned causing several in the room to deadpan.

Chuckling, Yukimura spoke up, "Let's try this… What would you do if I kept asking you for money every day and you never paid me back, or if I made you take me out to eat all the time, or to the arcade?"

Kirihara thought about it for a moment before he asked, "I pay?"

"Yes," the bluenette answered.

Frowning, the ace shouted, "That isn't fair Mura-buchou!"

"What about making you take me everywhere?"

"That isn't fair either! I wouldn't get to play my video games or get to watch my TV shows!" Kirihara griped.

Turning his smiling face on Marui, Yukimura addressed the tensai, "What about you Marui? If Jackal had asked you to do everything you asked him to do today, would you have done it?"

The redhead sat there for a minute before replying, "Probably not, but this is Jackal; he has never said no before!"

"Think about it. You keep demanding and give nothing back and eventually he is going to lose it. Unfortunately for him, it happened during tennis practice. As for someone to pretend to be your girlfriend, wouldn't Akaya look cute dressed up as a girl? I also think you will need to be the one to watch him during his date and chaperone the birthday party. You two will also be cleaning the locker room top to bottom with a toothbrush for disrupting practice," Yukimura dished out his punishment with the biggest smile on his face.

"Me too Mura-buchou?" Kirihara asked attempting to look as innocent and childlike as possible in order to get out of his punishment. He would deal with having to dress as a girl later.

Walking over to the youngest regular, the bluenette threw his arm around the ace's shoulders and said, "If you intend to be buchou next year, you have to start taking responsibility for your actions now. So yes, you are not getting out of this and will endure your punishment. You two have pushed Jackal to his limits and it is a wonder he held out as long as he did."

"Mura-buchou?"

"Yes, Akaya?"

"I hate interventions!" Kirihara proclaimed knowing he wouldn't be able to get out of anything. He would indeed have to dress like a girl and he would be helping to clean the stinky locker room with nothing but a toothbrush. He didn't just hate interventions… he detested them.

Yukimura laughed, "I don't know, I quite like them myself. Your cleaning duties will start tomorrow and you will be cleaning during practice for the remainder of the week."

Kirihara's eyes bugged out. Did he just hear his buchou correctly? It was Monday; which meant he would not get to participate in tennis practice for four whole days. This wasn't punishment, this was torture.

"What about Jackal?" Marui inquired. If he was going to be punished for asking for some simple favors… and granted he may have gone too far, but at least he didn't leave practice in a huff.

"Don't worry about him. I will handle him personally," Yukimura smiled at the redhead, "You just remember what happened here today. I would be careful about what you ask for in the future. Don't you think?"

The smile told Marui that if he didn't agree he would die a slow and agonizing death, "Yes, I think I've learned a very important lesson today. Thank you. Can we go now?"

"Of course," Yukimura allowed everyone to leave, but no one was safe from the fear and nightmares he instilled in them. He hadn't acquired the title of sadist for nothing.

When almost everyone was gone, only the three demons remained in the office. "Do you think they really learned their lesson?" Sanada asked.

"They have until the next time," the bluenette giggled.

"There is an 84.78% chance of this occurrence repeating in the future," Yanagi stated plainly.

Grinning broadly, Yukimura told his friends, "If it does, then we will just have to teach them another lesson, now won't we?"

Yanagi and Sanada outwardly showed no sign of reacting to Yukimura's words, but inwardly, they were chilled to the bone. There were times their best friend could even scare them.


	3. The Past

**A/N: Well, only one person was slapped in the last chapter and I have to give a round of applause to Sanada for not taking out the entire tennis team… then again, we don't really know what happened when he dismissed the others, do we? Hehehe. Ok, in this chapter, you will see a little bit of Jackal's background (per my imagination for this story) and it might give insight on why he can't say no (FS'Briseis request). Really this chapter will only feature him… and a little bit of Yukimura at the end. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3 – The Past

When Jackal had stormed out of practice, it dawned on him after he left the courts exactly what he did, and that is when the terror started to set in. He had just blasted past his buchou and not only had he done that, but he had also yelled at Yukimura. How he was still standing without his face broken from a torundoru, he wasn't sure. What he did know is that he wasn't going to stop to even collect his school uniform or his bag from his locker right now. It was too dangerous, and the risk was too great that one of the three demons would find him… and he could just imagine Yukimura getting his hands on the defensive player… he may never play tennis the same again. It may be better to say his prayers, write out his will, and say goodbye to his family now. "Oh why did I do that?" He cried out to the heavens as he kept running trying to put as much distance between him and the school as possible.

Out of breath and his muscles burning, Jackal finally stopped and looked around. He actually hadn't paid attention to where he was going, but he did know that sticking around his home wasn't safe and neither was the school. Then again, there might never be a secure place on the earth for him any longer. Noticing he was near the train station, he quickly felt around his pockets and realized his wallet was in his locker with his school uniform. The uniform wasn't a problem since he had others in his bedroom, the wallet though… well, he might as well kiss everything in it goodbye if Kirihara and Marui realize it was left behind.

Sighing, he shook his head and started to walk down the street at a more sedate pace. Now that he knew where he was, Jackal could find a place to hide out for at least a little bit. With no phone, no wallet, and only in his tennis uniform, his choices were significantly limited.

Jackal finally made his way to a park far, far (well as far as he could on foot) away from the school and his house before he finally sat down on a swing and allowed himself to rest. Today had been the straw to break the camel's back and now he feared for his life, "Great, this is all Bunta's fault." Groaning, he muttered, "Well, not all of it. Some belongs to Akaya… and I guess me."

He pushed himself with his feet as he thought about everything that happened today. Ever since he had met Marui requests like those had become the norm… albeit not so much in one day. When he was asked to dress as a girl, it had been the cherry on top that caused him to explode. Honestly it had been building for a while, but he never acted on his frustrated feelings; he would just give in and finally give everyone what they wanted from buying food to sewing an ear on a bunny. He did it all with some reluctance, but knowing he just wanted to keep the peace and make everyone happy. Smiling, he looked at the sand under his feet and knew exactly why he was the way he was… her and then him. He had met her when he lived in Brazil and she had changed him. Then he came along and never gave up on him.

**_Flashback…_**

_A young Jackal was just five years old when he started going to school and met her… Fatima Martinez. She was in the same grade as him and declared Jackal to be her future husband. He tried to push her away time and time again, but she always came back with a vengeance and soon the two became best friends. They continued their friendship into the first grade._

_As close as they were Jackal didn't understand why after school, they couldn't continue to play together. She was always disappearing after they were dismissed, walking the opposite direction of her home, and her parting words would always be, "Be good and I will see you in the morning Hara!" He really hated that nickname, but Jackal would allow her to call him that… not that he had a choice because the one time he objected, she wrestled him down to the ground and made him eat mud to obtain naming rights. It was not one of his prouder moments, being beaten by a girl, but that is when they had started to become friends. Fatima wasn't like normal girls. She liked to play ball, run around, wrestle, and could fight almost anyone in the school to get what she wanted. He sometimes wondered if she wasn't really a boy in the girl's clothes her mother made her wear. _

_Being the curious six year old boy that he was, he decided to follow her one day after telling his mother that he was going to play with Fatima after school. His mother didn't have a problem with it since she believed they were going to stay around their neighborhood, and then he got a huge shock. She walked straight into the poorer part of the city they lived in and walked straight up to two kids that looked about her age. The trio walked into a small restaurant together and then she left alone about thirty minutes later. Jackal continued to follow her and her next destination was the church where she helped out in the daycare room with the infants and then handed the nun her allowance. "What is she doing?" Jackal asked himself as he then started to follow her away from the church and then got another surprise. _

_"You know, you really need to improve your spy skills if you plan on sneaking around," Fatima snickered as she whipped around and found her friend about ten feet behind her. _

_He knew he was busted and tried to stammer through an explanation, "I… well I… I was just here because… I was shopping for my mother!" He was extremely proud of himself for thinking of that story on the fly. _

_Crossing her arms over her chest, Fatima stared him down, "Oh really? Your mother?"_

_Jackal lifted his chin a little higher and stomped his foot, "Yes!"_

_"Yah, when that one becomes true, I will be the president. So why are you spying?"_

_"I wasn't."_

_She moved fast and before her friend realized what was happening, she had him in a headlock, "Now you want to tell me why you were following me, or do I tell Monica Sanchez that you have a crush on her and are going to give her cooties?"_

_First, that wasn't even true. He didn't like girls and the only one he liked to hang around was Fatima, but that is because she acted more like a boy than a girl. Secondly, her headlock was really tight. Finally deciding it might be safer to admit the truth, he caved, "Ok, I was just wondering where you were going after school."_

_"Well, if that's all, you only had to ask to come along," she said as she released him and shrugged._

_Feeling his neck and making sure everything was still attached properly, Jackal glared at her, "I asked you what you did and you wouldn't tell me!"_

_"Oh, well I went to dinner with some friends and then I went to church."_

_"Who were those kids?"_

_"Friends," Fatima stated simply before taking his hand and leading him towards their part of town, stopping only once to give a man on the street a few coins that she still had in her pocket. _

_"What are you doing? He is homeless and could have attacked you!" _

_Looking behind her, she smiled and she turned to face forward again, "Not him."_

_"Do you know him?"_

_"He is Carlos and he used to be lawyer that worked with my dad. He lost his wife and son in an accident and his life fell apart. The two kids that you saw, they don't have parents and so they live on the street and try to support themselves. I buy them dinner a couple times a week to make sure they have a meal. The church… well I just like to play with the babies. My mom and dad think I go straight to the church. They don't know about the other stuff, so don't tell or I will have to beat you up."_

_They walked in silence for a while before Jackal asked, "Why?"_

_"Because my grandmother always said that a little kindness can mean the world to the other person. You don't know if they are having a bad day or what their life is like. You only know what they want you to see. So if someone needs help or asks for something, you should help if you can," Fatima answered softly and the rest of their journey was spent in silence._

_Twice a week, Jackal would go with Fatima when she left school and began to see what she meant, and they did this for two years. He started to get into tennis, but he never failed to be with his best friend when he could… and then tragedy struck. Fatima was bitten by a snake when she decided to cut through a field to get home faster one night, and by the time she was found, she was close to death. They tried everything at the hospital, but it was too late and she passed away the next day after giving her final words to her best friend, "Always remember to help those you can, be a good friend, and smile. You will be a great tennis player one day. I have something for you in my room, your birthday present. Make sure you get it and use it or I will haunt you. Look Hara, I get to be a real angel now and help lots more people. You were always my favorite person. I'm sorry I can't be your wife now. I do love you Hara." _

_Jackal nodded with tears in his eyes, "You were always my favorite person too." He didn't quite understand what was happening, but his parents ushered him out of the room after that and his best friend left him once the door was closed. She was gone. _

_His present turned out to be a racket he had been wanting and he did what he could to be the best tennis player he could be. Many doubted him, but the coach at the tennis club took a special interest in him. Jackal liked to think that maybe Fatima had something to do about it as an angel, but that was just a thought in the back of his mind he wouldn't share with others. The coach never gave up on him and Jackal worked hard to make the man proud, and he knew if he ever got the chance, he would never give up on others around him. _

**_End flashback…_**

To this day it was hard for him to say no to people because if he could help them, he wanted to. That was what his best friend from long ago had taught him, but there had to be a limit somewhere, "Fatima, I think even you would have finally gone ballistic on them. Right? I mean, I can't wear a dress or do the list of fifty things they wanted me to do today. Is this some sort of test? You're testing me right? I help them, but come on… I am no saint! I mean hell, Yukimura is closer to a saint than me since he is called the child of God, and he will probably rip my heart out and eat it for lunch tomorrow. I am so dead. I swear this is you causing trouble up there."

Looking up at the sky, he realized how late it had gotten and he really did need to get home. Was it safe yet? His stealth skills had vastly improved since he was six, but were they enough to sneak past any sentries that might be lying in wait for him? Taking a deep breath, he said, "Well, I can't spend the night here… even if I want to."

As he started to head towards his house, Jackal knew he needed to think of a plan to placate the demons tomorrow… and that included Yanagi (hey he was a demon too), "Maybe a sacrifice? Bunta would turn the fire to caramel with all of his sweets. Akaya would probably survive a fire because I swear he is part devil. Who would be a good sacrifice? It might need to be one of the underclassmen. No, they are innocent in all of this." In talking to himself, he didn't realize he had already made it home until he looked up and saw the sign on his family restaurant. Walking up the back steps, he entered the house, "Tadaima."

"Good to see you back and alive… for now," Yukimura stood up from where he sat by the coffee table and approached his tennis player.

"Oh god, I am so dead," Jackal muttered.

"No, not God, but you're close," the bluenette teased giggling and watched as Jackal lost all color from his normally tanned skin and became paler than he was. Chuckling some more, he wrapped his arm around his defense specialist and felt the other teen stiffen and then start to shake as he lead him towards the living room, "Now, let's talk."


	4. Let's Talk

**A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR! We are now in the Year of the Horse! Now we all know why Jackal can't say no to anyone, and now he finds Yukimura waiting for him in his home… this can't be good. Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 4 – Let's Talk

"Now, let's talk," Yukimura giggled as he lead (read forced) his player into the other room so that they could discuss what had happened earlier that day, and if there was a little reinforcement given (through terrorizing him), then all the better. At least the bluenette knew this would never happen again… at least for a while. He knew that with the crowd he had under his command, they were a little on the unstable side and that something else would happen sooner or later. It was just how things worked at Rikkai Dai.

All he could think as his buchou led him into the living room of his home and sat down at the coffee table was that he was going to die a slow, painful, agonizing, and torturous death. Normally Jackal wasn't so melodramatic, but when facing the bluenette one on one, and the other teen happens to be a well-known sadist among the middle school tennis circuit, well it tended to make the most rational person behave or believe irrational things, "Yukimura, you have to know that it wasn't my fault."

"Of course it wasn't dear, dear Jackal. You were pushed into it and forced to act like a maniacal lunatic."

"Exactly!" Jackal thought that maybe his buchou actually understood him and what had happened, but his hopes were dashed in the next moment.

"So they held a gun to your head and forced you to yell at me and the others, and to disrupt practice."

"Yes! Uh wait… no!"

"And there is that word again… 'No'."

Jackal knew he was entering dangerous territory, but after what he just experienced, he was determined to hold his ground… definitely… somewhat… maybe; then again, it might be easier to change his name, move to a foreign country, and start over. However that being said… I mean thought, he decided he may as well turn a new leaf and would not be the lackey for the club any longer, or at least that is what he wanted to try. It was very hard when facing this one particular person alone though and he kind of wished that Marui was there with him… wait scratch that, the redheaded self-proclaimed tensai was the last person Jackal wanted standing next to him right now. Clearing his throat, he told himself swallow the fear and face the challenge head on, "Yukimura, a gun was not held to my head, but I will not apologize for standing my ground. I will apologize for disrupting practice, but that is it." He was really praying that the buchou would not be able to hear his knees knocking together or the slight (it wasn't slight at all) tremor in his voice.

Snickering, Yukimura turned a beaming smile onto his underling; one that clearly said, "You really think you can stand up to me again and not incur my wrath. You are truly a brave soul, albeit very, very stupid." The bluenette shook his head and muttered, "I see."

"What? I refuse to be the person that is expected to do everything those two want! I don't have to explain myself to you or how I feel!" Jackal's voice was getting weaker and he knew it. Although he wanted to stand up to Marui and Kirihara, it did not mean he needed to yell at his buchou, or take his frustrations out on him. Not only that, but he had a feeling that the more he talked, the bigger the hole he was digging.

"Interesting way of putting it."

"It's true. I am not going to wear a dress, be a chaperone, or go on a blind date for someone else. I am also not going to enter a bug eating contest so that those two can get tickets for some show they want to see. I will not eat a bug, babysit, give up my allowance, or do anything that could get me into trouble any longer. Every time I have to be in charge of them, I wind up paying the price when Akaya gets upset, or when Bunta gorges himself too much. No more!"

"I see. So you want them to take responsibility for their own lives and actions."

"Yes!" Was it possible? Was he really getting through to the bluenette? Did the other teen really understand him?

"So everyone should have to take responsibility for their own actions. Is that not correct?"

"Yes!"

"Excellent, I'm glad we agree!"

Just as he was about to say something else, Jackal stopped. There was a twinkle in those blue eyes and he knew that could only mean trouble. What did he agree to exactly? He decided to test the waters, "So you are on my side and agree that Akaya and Bunta went too far, right?"

"Oh I do believe they were taking advantage of you and stepped over the line; however, did you not just say everyone must take responsibility for what they did?"

"Ye-Yes?" Jackal knew it sounded more like a question than an answer, but he was suddenly overcome with the chills and he had a sense of foreboding inhabit his body. Something was not right… something was wrong… something was coming for him.

"Now, I am not saying that you shouldn't stick up for yourself with those two, but you need to treat them more gently. Poor Akaya is so scared of you right now. He really believes you were possessed by an akuma (demon), and doesn't want to be alone for any period of time. He and Marui will be cleaning the club room the remainder of the week instead of attending practice; however, they will need to practice at some point in time. You will be in charge of that... think of it as team bonding time. In addition, you will be helping the first years with ball clean up and the nets for the remainder of the week. You three will practice after the rest of the team is dismissed for the afternoon. If there are further problems with them, I should think you would talk about it before you explode on my tennis courts. I will let you off with a warning and light punishment this time, but next time… you might want to think about your final resting place."

Light punishment? Is that what Yukimura calls light punishment? Jackal is being forced to babysit the two people he doesn't want to babysit any longer. How is this light? "No!"

"Excuse me?"

"I cannot be in charge of them any longer. I will pick up the balls and help with the nets, but I will not babysit them any longer," Jackal defiantly declared as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Would you like to tell me why?" Yukimura might look calm outwardly, but on the inside he was sputtering and couldn't believe that his tennis player would defy him.

"No. I don't need to give you my reasons. I play tennis for you, and that is all."

"I can demote you from the regulars."

"You can, but it won't change my mind."

"Interesting… By the way, why are you scooting away?" the bluenette questioned a teasing tone to his voice. One thing he had to admit, he had to give the other teen credit, Jackal may be making a stupid decision, but he had guts. "I'll tell you what, if you can give me a reasonable and good explanation, I will reconsider everything… but it had better be an excellent excuse."

Looking around him, Jackal realized he had indeed moved as far away from Yukimura as he could and was now pressed up against the wall. When had he done that? However, knowing that he had retreated, he did not make a move to rejoin his buchou. He was trying to be brave, not suicidal. Swallowing hard, Jackal nodded. If it would get him out of nanny duty, he would attempt to explain his feelings on the matter, "I feel like I am a pretty sane person when compared to the others on our tennis team." He realized what he said and tried to correct his guffaw, "I mean excluding you, Sanada, and Yanagi of course. You are all as sane as I am." Mentally swiping at his brow for being able to expel that lie with a straight face, he continued, "However, it was putting me on babysitting duty to begin with that I believe they felt they could take advantage of me. Bunta was supposed to be helping me and instead he contributed to the problem. I can't do it any longer and after the list today, I refuse to help them like that. It would be enabling them."

Yukimura chuckled, "Has someone been watching some of those talk shows?" He studied and observed his defensive specialist for a moment before he said, "Alright, you will not have to be in charge of those two this week. In fact, I will give you a break, however, come to practice early tomorrow so that we can discuss your new duties." Standing up, the bluenette bowed and told the other tennis player, "I will see myself out. See you tomorrow." He left and the sounds of his giggling followed him to the door.

Jackal wasn't sure if today would be called a victory or this was just a means for Yukimura to plan a different method of attack. Either way, he needed to keep his guard up and make sure he had not in fact dug his own grave today. Then it dawned on him… Yukimura only said he didn't have to be in charge this week. Crap, did that mean he would be in charge again next week? If he had hair he would be pulling it out right now. Hmmm maybe he should grow out his hair so that he could pull it out. It might stop the effects of lunacy from taking over his body… then again, hair hadn't helped the other players. Maybe his best defense was no hair. It was definitely something to look into in the future, but right now, he needed to know… was he going to be tortured next week, or was he even going to be alive next week? What new duties? Jackal's head was spinning and he fell backwards onto his butt, landing on the hard floor. What exactly had he gotten himself into?


	5. At Least It Isn't Babysitting

**A/N: Sorry for the long break everyone. I am back now though and will be updating regularly again. My grandmother passed away and I had to take a hiatus for that reason. Well for this story, Jackal stood up for himself, but looks like he still has some worries to face. Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 5 – At Least It Isn't Babysitting

Jackal stared at his alarm clock watching the seconds and minutes tick by until the buzzer sounded telling him that it was time to get up. He had gotten absolutely no sleep that night and now he had to go to school earlier than normal so that he could meet with Yukimura and find out if he would live to see another day. It was the bald teen's guess that he may not, and if he managed to survive his punishment, he could only hope his tennis game was not affected. What had he gotten into? Jackal wasn't sure, but one thing he was certain of… he felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders because he had taken the offensive and stood up for himself finally. So if that was the case, why did he feel like he was about to meet the devil himself.

Getting out of bed, he sighed and got out of bed, trudging through the morning as he got ready and finally left the house. Jackal arrived at the school and stood in front of the door that led to the tennis locker room. He stood there for at least ten minutes before he took in a deep breath and exhaled sharply, "Alright, time to get this over with." He ripped open the door and marched in, firm in his resolve and determined to stand his ground. He would not be bullied. Oh lord, why were his legs quaking and did his stomach feel like butterflies were doing the samba? Oh please don't let Yukimura see the fear present in Jackal's heart, or at least not notice the shaking and the sweat pouring off of his bald head.

He walked towards the back of the locker room to where the buchou's office was and found the three demons of Rikkai Dai waiting for him. Gulping, Jackal entered and addressed his leaders with a bow, "Yukimura-buchou, Sanada-fukubuchou, Yanagi, I came as you requested." Hey being polite might save his life. He had to do what he could at this point.

The bluenette's grin grew and was clearly predatory, sending off the message, "Of course you did. If you didn't you would be living in the last ring of hell." Nodding, Yukimura pointed to the chair in front of his desk, "Why don't you go ahead and have a seat and we can talk about everything." He glanced behind him to his friend and received their answering nods.

Yesterday had been an anomaly. Never in the history of the world had anyone ever told the bluenette "no", and never before had practice been disrupted in quite so colossal a fashion. Jackal had managed to not only deny anyone and everyone yesterday afternoon, but he also interrupted tennis practice to the point that it had been hard to get everyone focused again… and Yukimura thought everybody knew better than to lose focus at Rikkai Dai… well at least on the tennis courts. Let's face it, off the courts and any time Niou was around things went a haywire, and it usually took a torundorou from Sanada of epic proportions in order to regain everyone's attention again; the only reason yesterday had not is because the non-regulars had been dismissed before it reached that point. The only person that suffered through the power slap was Marui. Who knows, maybe this morning would Sanada would find a release for some of his pent up frustrations from the day before.

Jackal sat down in the seat indicated and folded his hands in his lap. Would they be able to see how tightly he gripped his hands together? Did they smell his fear and terror? How did one person sweat so much? "You… You asked me to come here early to discuss my new duties?" Was that his voice? Why was it shaking so much?

"I did," Yukimura's smile grew. He glanced behind him again and then faced front, "We have discussed everything that happened yesterday and the discussion you and I had last night, and we have come to some decisions."

"Okay?" The bald defense player asked. Right now he wished his could have some hair in order to pull it, it might help with some of the nervousness he was experiencing at the moment. Sanada's glare was fierce and Yanagi stared at him with a blank look, but Jackal knew those eyes were all seeing; both of them saw things that others missed.

Yanagi opened up his notebook and began reading, "Yesterday, 23 minutes into afternoon tennis practice, Jackal Kawamura shouted gaining the attention of everyone in the tennis club. He refused to help his fellow tennis players: Marui Bunta and Kirihara Akaya. His rant lasted exactly 3.57 minutes. After which, we approached him and he proceeded to yell at Yukimura before rushing out of the tennis courts 2.97 minutes later."

Snickering, Yukimura said, "Thank you for the recap Renji. Now Jackal, your new duties for the remainder of the week will be to help the first years pick up balls and put up/take down the nets. You will stay away from both Marui and Akaya for the remainder of the week. Since they will not be participating in tennis practice, it should not be a problem. You have not lost your place as a regular, however, you will be in charge of all the first years for the next month. In addition, we are going to rethink your partnering with Marui for the time being, you will be Akaya's English tutor for the midterms, and you will run any laps assigned plus 20. So if we tell everyone to run 25 laps, you will run 45. Do you understand?"

"I thought I wasn't going to have to babysit anymore!" Jackal exclaimed. He got stuck on the fact that he was going to have to be Akaya's English tutor.

"TORUNDOROU!" Sanada shouted before Jackal found himself on the floor looking up at the ceiling.

Yukimura stood up and grabbed his friend's arm and signaling silently that the raven haired teen needed to back away. Then he leaned over Jackal, and he was still smiling, "Did I say anything about babysitting? I only said you had to tutor him for the midterms. You will not have to babysit anyone unless you choose to do it. In fact, we are going to tell you not to do them any favors going forward. If they ask you to do something, tell them no and do not allow them to take advantage of you. I would prefer you do that from the beginning than to disrupt my tennis practice again. We are giving you some leniency. Be grateful."

"Hai!" Jackal agreed. He was actually too afraid to say anything else at the moment. Besides, in light of everything, it was rather gracious of them. The only thing he found exception to was the tutoring, but seeing how it was only tutoring, it was something he could live with… unless it started to turn into more. It had always been under the orders of Yukimura and the others that he watch Kirihara, so hopefully the three demons would stick to their word.

"Oh and Jackal, one more thing…" Yukimura's smile grew even more putting the fear of God in his tennis player.

When the bluenette did not continue, Jackal asked, "What?"

Eyes narrowing, the buchou continued, "If you ever tell me no again, be disrespectful, interrupt practice, run off like you did yesterday, or completely lose all sense of sanity again, we cannot be responsible to what will happen to you when it happens. Be careful… be very careful. Do you understand?"

Gulping, the bald headed half-Brazilian nodded unable to speak, his voice caught in his throat with the terror that rushed through his body.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" The bluenette asked.

Jackal tried to speak again and his voice came out choked and breathless, "I…I…I un-understand."

Yukimura held out his hand to help his player up off of the floor, "Excellent. We are counting on you then. Why don't you get started on your new duties now?"

The defense specialist did not have to be told twice, he ran out of the room as fast as he could. He needed to get away from those three because if he didn't… well he honestly thought he might actually die. Alive, he was still living and breathing and he would like to keep it like that, and mentally swiped his brow that he escaped… at least for today. In a school like Rikkai Dai, a buchou like Yukimura, fukubuchou like Sanada, a stalker/data collector like Yanagi, and let's not forget the others on the tennis team, you never knew what tomorrow would. This school made most sane people (and there were very few in the middle school) live life day to day for fear of tomorrow because tomorrow might drive one completely bonkers.


	6. Reflections and Revelations

**A/N: I'm not sure how it happened, but I forgot to update this story last week. Gomen minna! Happy belated White Day and Pi Day! Well, at least Jackal doesn't have to babysit and for those who thought he got the short end of the stick, Yukimura isn't exactly done with the other two. Not sure why, but I do like writing about him and all the possibilities that could go with this sadist side. Here is the new chapter and I hope you like it!**

Chapter 6 – Reflections and Revelations

As Jackal pulled out the nets and balls for him and the first years to set up, he thought about the meeting he just had with the three demons of Rikkai Dai and suddenly had many questions. How long would his lap punishment last? Was he really going to be separated from his doubles partner? He may not like how he is always treated by Marui and Kirihara, but that didn't mean he wanted to stop playing tennis with his partner.

Together, he and Marui were a formidable force and they knew how to read each other in order to win the game, anticipating what each other was thinking or needed. Previously during one of their many, many, many practices, Jackal had been assigned to play doubles with someone else in an effort to break out of the world most longtime doubles partners found themselves in; and it was further explained that it would push them to develop more and think about their partner. The only problem they encountered… it had utterly failed. It wasn't that they had been paired up with someone from the platinum pair or even Yanagi or Kirihara… people with experience playing doubles. No, they had been paired up with two first years who were trying to create a doubles team. Marui had one and Jackal had the other and communication was the worst; thus the failure.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Jackal started to move the necessary items for practice to the courts. It was still early and the first years were not scheduled to arrive for another thirty minutes, giving the defense specialist a lot of time with his thoughts. Would he have changed anything about the day before? After thinking long and hard he decided the only thing he would have changed was waiting until after practice to go postal; however that being said, Jackal couldn't help the fact that Rikkai Dai was full of crazy people and it had rubbed off on him. Yukimura should be thanking him that he had not done something crazier or sooner. On top of all that… why did his punishment seem harsher than Kirihara and Marui's? Yes, he was the one that interrupted practice, but they were at the center of it all and the reason he lashed out and yelled at Yukimura! It was their fault. He stopped and gulped… oh God, he really had yelled at Yukimura, gotten slapped by Sanada this morning, and was now being punished for the two people he didn't think anyone on the planet could control… and that included Sanada, Yanagi, Yukimura, Tezuka, etc. There was the illusion of control with no real control.

Jackal shook his head again and started to refocus. It still didn't make sense to him as to why he had to do so much and the only thing they had to do was clean the club room. It wasn't as if it was really dirty to begin with. Ok, so he didn't want to lose his tennis partner, but he did want their punishments to be equal.

He looked up in time to see the three demons leave the clubhouse dressed in their tennis uniforms, and itched to ask more questions, but he was afraid that if he tried to interrogate them, he would lose his life… and he really liked living (for the most part). Forcing himself to continue with his duties, he jumped when he heard a voice behind him.

Scribbling in his notebook, Yanagi glanced up and found the bald man scowling. With his pencil poised to write more information, the stalker… I mean data collector asked, "Are you satisfied with your punishment, or do you think Yukimura was too harsh?"

Now Jackal could not be sure if this was a data mining excursion, a test from his buchou, or some sort of twisted mind game in order to make him lose the little sanity he had left (then again, this is Rikkai Dai, so it could be all three). Deciding it was best to err on the side of caution, the half Brazilian teen stated, "I don't have a problem with it, but is Marui and Kirihara only cleaning the clubroom this week?" He took a step back when he saw a small smirk appear on the stalker… I mean other teen's face. That was not normal.

Yanagi pulled out his notebook, "No. They will be cleaning the club room from top to bottom with nothing more than a toothbrush and cleaning solution. In addition, Kirihara will be pretending to be Marui's girlfriend, and then Marui will play chaperone to Kirihara for the birthday party he is to attend. Finally, Kirihara will be Marui's sole responsibility for the next month and any laps that they miss this week will have to be made up by the end of next week."

Laps brought to mind something else Jackal needed to ask, "Do you know how long my extra laps will last?"

"Just the remainder of this week. I told you we were giving you some leniency. The only reason you are even being punished is because you disrupted practice in such a manner and wouldn't even listen to me," Yukimura grinned widely as he appeared as if out of thin air. That is what he said, but his smile said something else. It told Jackal, "Of course if you hadn't yelled at me like that and stormed past me, you would have been much safer."

"Sou ka. Then thank you for your leniency?" Jackal stated, but it sounded suspiciously like a question.

Giggling, Yukimura told him, "Correct." He walked away with Yanagi at his side without another glance at his defense master.

It wasn't long before Jackal looked up again and saw a familiar mop of red hair walking past the courts on his way to the clubroom: Marui. There were two things the bald teen decided while he was working on the nets: he did not want to play tennis with something else, he did not want to lose his friendship with Marui, and he did not want things to go back to the way they were and have Marui take advantage of him again. Things needed to change, but in order to do that, he needed to talk to his friend; however, according to Yukimura, he was banned from talking to the redhead for the rest of the week. Did he dare go against his buchou and basically tell him "no" yet again, albeit covertly and not directly, or did he follow orders? Jackal just wasn't sure anymore. Maybe the time apart would be good for them, but maybe they needed to talk and work through this before it caused more problems. What to do? Without a clear cut answer, he continued with his additional duties, but he itched to yell "NO" one more time to hell with the consequences. Well, he thought that, but he didn't know if he had the guts to cross the bluenette yet again. That was just asking for a death sentence. So many things to think about and consider. He had the day to think about it. In fact, he had four days if he wanted to take them. Maybe it would be best to make Marui sweat a little and teach him a bit of a lesson. Face palming, Jackal realized that his sadistic buchou was starting to rub off on him. The effect of being at Rikkai Dai too long, and his imprisonment in the school system wasn't going to end any time soon.


End file.
